TALE OF THE TAPE

Week 15: New York Jets At Tennessee Titans

Jets

Titans

Quarterback

The Jets have won two in a row and Mark Sanchez remains at quarterback. That’s not a good thing because Sanchez has shown that he is not a winning NFL quarterback at this point in his career and probably will never reach that level. In the Week 14 win over the Jaguars, Sanchez completed 12-of-19 passes for 111 yards and that was one of his better games of the year.

Winner
Jake Locker appears to be improving, even though the Titans are not winning. Locker has size, strength and the ability to get the ball downfield quickly. He has completed 57.5 percent of his passes and he has 1,735 passing yards.

Offense

The Jets are going to have to run the ball if they are going to win another game on the road. That means that Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell are going to have to run hard between the tackles and keep punishing the tacklers. The Jets are lacking at the wide receiver position. Jeremy Kerley is probably the best of a bad lot with 52 catches for 728 yards.

Winner
Explosive Chris Johnson is going to test the Jets’ defense. If the Titans can give him a little bit of a crease with their run blocking, he has the ability to make a game-changing run. Nate Washington is a solid receiver who can stretch the defense while Kendall Wright has developed into a solid pass catcher.

Defense

Winner
The Jets rank 8th in overall defense and third against the pass. Their defense has been good, but they have not been effective enough to overcome New York’s inferior offense. Middle linebacker David Harris is a dominant tackler and he leads the Jets with 101 tackles. Free safety LaRon Landry has 89 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions and 7 passes defensed.

The Titans have a tough time playing consistently on defense for 60 minutes. They rank 27th overall in defense and 26th against the pass. The Titans don’t get enough from their pass rush to stop opponents from coming through on key drives when the game is on the line. Strong safety Jordan Babineaux is a nasty hitter who leads the team with 88 tackles.

Special Teams

Special teams have been awful for the Jets this season, much to the consternation of retiring special teams coach Mike Westhoff. Fumbles and misplays have been issues for the Jets this season as their special teamers don’t always make good decisions. Placekicker Nick Folk has made 16-of-21 FG attempts.

Winner
Rob Bironas is one of the best kickers in the league and placekicking is one of the few areas that the Titans usually have the advantage. Bironas has made 24-of-29 FG attempts this season. Brett Kern has a strong leg and he is averaging 48.9 yards per punt.

The Winner Is

WinnerTitans

3 out of 4

The Jets have an outside chance of sneaking in through the back door and making the playoffs but they must win out to do it. They have a chance as they are in the soft underbelly of their schedule. Since their offensive play has been so weak, the Jets need their defense to produce big plays if they are going to record this much-needed road win.